13in Apple iPad Pro could have a USB-C port for your keyboard and mouse

Started to forget about the long-speculated supersized iPad Pro? Well here’s a fresh leak to flare up those rumour flames again.

Images of an iPad Pro mockup model have cropped up on Chinese site Weibo, and it has what appears to be either a USB-C port or a second Lightning port, on its side.

MacRumours believes that the mockup is likely to be from a case manufacturer who has created a dummy model of the tablet to get an early start ahead of its release, but we’re still filing this very much in the Pinch of Salt folder.

If the port is a reversible USB-C port like the one found on the new MacBook then it suggests that the iPad Pro can be charged using both a regular Lightning connector and a new USB-C cable.

It has also been speculated that the port could be used for keyboard and mouse compatibility - a feature that would make sense given that the Pro would be aimed and professionals looking for more productivity from their slates.

Its side location could also hint at a keyboard dock accessory, transforming the tablet into a laptop. USB-C can handle power as well as display output, so this could very well be a possibility.

If it’s a second Lightning port instead, then that would make little sense to us, but you never know.

The iPad pro has long been rumoured to land with a large screen between 12.2 and 12.9 inches in size, along with Touch ID smarts and a stylus.

Apple has obviously never even acknowledged the existence of a third iPad family member, and will continue to be silent until it’s ready to launch it. Assuming it’s more than just a ghost, of course.